Self-branding on social media: A comparative analysis of social media influencers between China and the West

The popularisation of social media has given rise to the
figure of the social media influencer (SMI). SMIs have the
power to influence societies, economies, and cultures
(Abiden, 2018). Most research on SMIs focuses on the West
(e.g. Page, 2012; Khamis, Ang, & Welling, 2016), yet
influence relies on and reflects social values. China and its
social media are increasingly important globally, so
understanding how influencers self-brand in China and how
this compares with the West is essential. This study fills
this gap, utilising the concepts of self-branding,
authenticity and postfeminism to understand how fashion
and lifestyle SMIs whose online branding activities reflect
"the post-feminist self-brand" (Barnet-Weiser, 2012) work
across different socio-cultural contexts. I will analyse and
compare their posts on two major visual social media
platforms: 1) Instagram which is widely used by Western
influencers; 2) Xiaohongshu, a comparable social media
platform in China. A novel mixed methodology including
content analysis, platform analysis, together with
interviews will be used to study fashion and lifestyle SMIs'
self-branding practice and investigate the relationship
between digital media and everyday life.